Customer Reviews

Hardcase

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Dan Simmons was originally planning to publish HARDCASE under a pseudonym. Why? I'm not sure, other than the fact that he pays homage to the "Parker" novels, which were written by Richard Stark (a.k.a. Donald Westlake), at the beginning of his book and that maybe he wanted to, at first, emulate the path Westlake took as a writer. Whatever the reason, I'm extremely happy that Mr. Simmons decided to go ahead and have this exceptional entry into the "mystery" genre published under his own name. Otherwise, I probably would've missed it. HARDCASE is a story that deals with ex-P.I. Joe Kurtz, a man who's hard as nails and can kill when the need arises, yet still has his own code of honor. When Kurtz's female partner is raped and murdered by Sammy Levine and Eddie Falco, he quickly extracts revenge on the two men and spends eleven years in Attica for it. While in jail, Kurtz helps out and protects Steve Farino, the son of Buffalo, New York's mob boss, Don Byron Farino. This leads to a job with the Farino Family when Kurtz is finally paroled. Kurtz offers his help to the Don in finding out who's trying to secretly take over the Family business of drugs trafficking and truck hijackings. There are a number of people, however, who'd rather not have Kurtz sticking his nose in places it doesn't belong. Killers (Malcolm Kibunte and Cutter, DooRag and his posse of gangbangers, the Alabama Beagle Boys, and an assassin known only as the Dane) are hired to take out Kurtz before anything incriminating can be uncovered. If that wasn't enough, there's also Manny Levine (a dwarf who carries a .44 Magnum revolver and looks like a mean version of Danny DeVito), who's seeking revenge for the death of his brother, Sammy. Kurtz is going to find out that staying alive on the outside is a lot harder than when he was in jail. HARDCASE literally hooked me in the first six pages and kept me riveted to the couch, until the book was finally finished a few hours later. I knew I liked the character of Joe Kurtz the moment he threw Eddie Falco out of a six-story apartment window as police cars were pulling up to the curb down below, then turned around, opened the door to the apartment, and waited patiently on his knees with his fingers laced behind his head for the cops to come in. Few novels are able to grab a reader that fast and not let go! Kurtz proves to be not only smart and tough, but also loyal to the people close to him. There's his street-wise secretary, Arlene, and a homeless man named Pruno, who was once a college professor and speaks Latin, plus Doc, who's a night security guard in a vacant factory and has an arsenal of high-quality handguns for sell. Then, there's Rachel, the twelve-year-old daughter of his late partner, Samantha, and though it's never stated or actually implied, I think Joe is the young girl's actual father. Mr. Simmons (an author who has continuously proven his talent with such diverse novels as CARRION COMFORT, SUMMER OF NIGHT, SONG OF KALI, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, THE CROOK FACTORY, and DARWIN'S BLADE) has written a book of such excellence that it deserves to win an Edgar or Shamus Award for the best "Mystery" novel of 2001. His writing is that of a seasoned pro, his multitude of characters are sharply drawn and never boring, and the story line keeps the reader, not only guessing right up till the final page, but rushing to get there. I hope that HARDCASE is only the first in a long line of "Joe Kurtz" novels to follow. This could easily be a series that would enlarge Mr. Simmons's fan base, plus hopefully put him on the bestseller lists where he truly belongs.

Dan Simmons has made a name for himself as a writer of very cerebral science fiction and horror novels. Lately however, he seems to have taken to reinventing himself as a mainstream genre novelist (if there is such a thing) and to this end he has written a superb novel of World War II espionage (The Crook Factory), a mediocre urban legend novel (Darwin's Blade) and now with Hardcase, a hard boiled gangster novel.

Joe Kurtz murders the drug dealer who killed his girl friend. It's a revenge killing and Joe makes sure that he gets every ounce of revenge going. The murder is brutal, excruciatingly painful and bloody and, for Joe, enormously satisfying. He gets eleven years in Attica jail, but they pass in the turning of a page.

When Joe gets out, he uses the contacts he made inside to wangle a job with a Mafia big boss. The boss wants Joe to track down one of his comrades who has vanished with a lot of the Mafia funds. It seems straight forward, but there are wheels within wheels, loyalties within loyalties and Joe is soon up to his neck in ultra-violence. Everyone wants him dead.

The tension never lets up and the violence never ends. Blood drips off the page, agony screams from every chapter heading, mangled bodies litter the paragraphs. The carnage never stops.

It's a dark, dismal novel and I felt slightly dirty when I'd finished it.

After reading the reviews from many of Dan Simmons' ardent fans, I'm convinced that I stumbled in the right direction when HARDCASE became my first Simmons read. That's not to say that I won't peruse his offerings in the other genres however, it seems that HARDCASE is a really nice intro for an author new to me.

As a precursor to the book, Simmons' dedication reads: "This is for Richard Stark, who sometimes writes under the wussy pseudonym of Donald Westlake." Well, that'll nab one's interest. Simmons takes a lash at Westlake (who conversely writes under the pseudonym of Stark) right off the bat. However, it is obvious that Simmons' statement is tongue-in-cheek. Regardless, the dedication defines the book's impending aura of "in your face" entertainment.

As the book opens, we meet Joe Kurtz, a hardboiled Mike Hammer-type private investigator. Kurtz is tracking the second of two men who killed his partner...well, not tracking, stalking is a better word. By the end of the intro chapter, Kurtz has all but mangled Eddie Falco when he decides the coup de gras is to throw Falco out of his sixth-story apartment window. Without much ado, Kurtz heads to Attica for an extended stay at the state-run luxury resort.

While in Attica, Kurtz meets Steven "Little Skag" Farino, the son of aging Buffalo, New York, mob boss Don Byron Farino. As a "reward" for protecting Little Skag's manly pride from unwanted jailhouse affection, Kurtz gets an audience with Don Farino upon his release from prison. Don Farino, now crippled from a would-be assassin's bullet, is still clinging to a denigrated level of authority and power he used to hold as the feared boss of one of New York's elite organized crime families. Kurtz makes a deal with the Don to locate the Family's missing accountant. Without too much detail, it is obvious that the accountant knows way too much to be "missing." Don Farino's attorney, Leonard Miles, is introduced to the reader and immediately stakes his position as consigliere while ruffling Kurtz's feathers. Kurtz, in form to be consistent throughout, lashes back at Miles with dripping sacrcasm and challenging lines. It is apparent from this exchange with Don Farino, his consigliere, and all the bodyguards present that Joe Kurtz takes no issue with stating his current frame of mind regardless the potential consequences.

With the storyline framed, Simmons leads the reader down a path fully expected of a hardboiled PI like Kurtz. While Simmons takes the reader on a violent tour of the Buffalo underworld, the action and noir detail keeps the storyline fresh and taut. But, one of the chief assets of this Simmons' offering is his character development, and what characters they are.

As a short list there's Malcolm Kimbunte, a sadistic killer-for hire; Cutter, Kimbunte's psychopathic sidekick; Doo-Rag, a gangbanger and Kimbunte's lackey; the Alabama Beagle Boys, brothers from an Aryan Nation organization; Sophia Farino, Don Farino's sultry, hot daughter; Pruno, a homeless junkie informant who used to be a Princeton professor; the Dane, a faceless hitman with a ubiquitious reputation; and a dwarf named Manny Levine, hell-bent on avenging his brother's death at the hands of Kurtz. There are just a few of the snapshot characterizations within this relatively short thriller.

This is hardboiled noir at its best. The only downside is a less than perfect ending. Simmons was somewhat cathartic in his need to exhaust the storyline, which, in my opinion, detracted from the climax found in the second to last chapter. This is the only reason this book is sitting with four, instead of five stars.

If you're looking for the hardboiled noir genre, you've found it here. Simmons' Kurtz makes Spillane's Hammer look wimpy. This was a fun, fast and action-packed read. Recommended to anyone enjoying hardboiled noir.

Everyone here really seems to like this book. As a matter of fact, I read it because of a recommendation here.
I have to admit, I'm a sucker for the hard-boiled school, as this book certainly is. However, I thought the book was complete waste of time. Every character, including the hero, is extremely one-dimensional, and the book was very formulaic. Maybe his other stuff is good, but don't bother with this one.

Though Dan Simmons's previous novel `Darwin's Blade' was better, I feel his foray into this mystery/thriller genre was well worth it.

Joe Kurtz is an ex private investigator doing time for a homicide. He has survived over 11 years in Attica with a 10,000-dollar bounty on his head, which was offered by the Mosque brothers when he killed one of their own. After his release he decides to offer his services to the local mafia don, Byron Farino. It seems Farino's accountant has gone missing. When Farino decides to hire Kurtz, that's when the fireworks start. The 10,000-dollar bounty offered to kill Kurtz is still payable on the outside; so on top of looking for the missing accountant, Kurtz is dodging bullets from an assortment of bad guy's. Everyone from the drug lords, to the Alabama Beagle Boys, seem to be after a piece of the Kurtz pie.

A fast-paced and oft times violent novel. The character of Joe Kurtz seemed to lack depth. The story itself must have lacked a little depth because it read like a sequel. I liked the varied characters and the quick and snappy dialogue. No wasted speech here.
Overall an easy to enjoy, quick read, delivered by an author that's done better work.

Recommended.

Joe Kurtz loves the blues. He's an ex-con detective without a license to practice. A man with a code but with no scruples. He does what needs to be done, but doesn't worry about getting dirt on his shoes or blood on his hands.

"Hardcase" is Dan Simmons' first all-out hard-boiled dectective novel. He's written long, involved horror novels exceedingly well ("Carrion Comfort" and "Summer of Night") science fiction sagas to rival the best ever written (the "Hyperion" quartet) and historical fiction ("The Crook Factory") that is gripping and fun to read.

This book will definitely hold you in its grip if you let your eyes come anywhere near the first sentence. It's fast and furious and fun to read. It's sort of like using a paint-shaker as a rocking chair.

But is it Simmons at his best? No, probably not. "Hardcase" doesn't possess much of the poetry and density of the Hyperion books, the beauty and wonder of "Summer of Night" or the rich characterization of "Carrion Comfort". It's a pretty good book, one that wears all of its high-octane charms right out on its bullet-hole-strewn sleave, and I probably liked it a little more than his last one, "Darwin's Blade." But I'd have to say I'm still waiting for another really great book from Dan Simmons. I know he's got quite a few more in him.

Dan Simmons writes Science Fiction (he won the Hugo award for Hyperion in 1989). Dan Simmons writes Horror (Bram Stoker Award, Carrion Comfort). Dan Simmons writes Fantast (World Fantasy Award, Song of Kali). And Mr. Simmons writes detective fiction.

These different genres mostly have different writing styles. Instead of trying to force one type of writing into another genre, Mr. Simmons changes his colors, adjusts his pacing, wording and style for the hard-core nasty world of private investigation.

Hardcase is the first of three (and we hope more) Joe Kurtz novels. Hard Freeze (A Joe Kurtz Novel) and Hard as Nails (A Joe Kurtz Novel) are the other two. Joe Kurtz isn't mean and nasty, but he also has no compunction about sticking a man's hand in a disposal or running over an unconscious man's legs. Kurtz has his own code. Getting out of jail after following that code, Kurtz throws himself in the middle of a Mafia mess that he learned about in prison, and starts churning up the mob and old acquaintances.

The pacing of this novel is well done, the dialogue believable. The plot integrates several subplots well, although some of the plot twists are tipped off early (ain't this called foreshadowing?).

I also liked how Mr. Simmons slides in a reference to one of his other books, The Crook Factory, about a spyring in Cuba run by Hemingway (see page 221 in the paperback for the reference).

Language and graphic violence make this an unsuitable read for kids. Everyone else will enjoy it.

There isn't much Dan Simmons hasn't done. He's written full blown horror novels, sci-fi sagas, short stories, mainstream thrillers and a few books that fall between the cracks. He effectively hops from genre to genre, expanding their limitations or, as he does in Hardcase, works well within their boundaries. He doesn't want to enlighten or impress us with his prose - he wants to grab us by the collar, put a knee to our groin and kick us down a flight of stairs. Hardcase is just Dan Simmons doodling between larger projects. As a matter of fact I'd be surprised if it took Simmons as much time to write this areodynamic novel as it takes to read it. Try to imagine a master chef at a 5 star restaurant making an egg salad sandwich on his day off. Hardcase is Dan Simmons egg salad recipe.

Dan Simmons is one of the most versitile authors out there. He works in every genre and everything he writes is amazing and brilliant. Summer Of Night is one of the best horror novels ever written and the Hyperion series is just breathtaking. Now, Simmons is trying his hands at the criminal, pot-boiler ficiton, and he succeeds at it amazingly well.

Hardcase is a quick, fast read about mistaken identities and coincidences. It reminded me of the early works of Elmore Leonard. The book is as brilliant as Leonard's best. It is fast paced, violent and extremely funny. I never thought Simmons could be so sarcastically comic!

All in all, Hardcase is a welcomed departure from a writer who is underrated and who deserves much more praise and fame than he is getting. Don't let this one pass you by! It's a guaranteed fun read, especially now that the beaches are open and reading out in the sun seems to be on everyone's mind. (Note to Hollywood: this one would make a GREAT movie!)

Okay so I am a fan of the Joe Kurtz books, I wish more than three where written. Solid writting, good depth of people that make this book so great.